Starting Golf: Here are Three Things You Should Know

Starting to play any sport is a daunting task. There are so many different aspects a beginner needs to consider when starting that they can quickly become overwhelmed. Golf, in my opinion, is one of the more complicated sports to start because of the plethora of factors that can influence your journey. I asked The Grateful Golfer crowd for advice on things someone should know went taking up golf. The responses were very similar and fit perfectly to what I was thinking. If you are starting this amazing sport or you have only played a few times, then the following are three things that will help you develop a passion for the game while lowering the frustration factor.

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Changing Your Chipping Sequence

Chipping is an important shot that allows players to lower their golf score. This statement is not profound, but needs to be repeated from time to time. As an important topic of discussion, I realized that the plethora of interest points on chipping cannot be covered reasonably in one article. Keeping this in mind, I thought that talking about the differences between chipping and hitting should be broached. The chipping sequence is different than that of hitting in the fact that it is a less of an explosive movement. Chipping is more controlled and relies on a more gentle touch when making contact. To achieve this softer feel, our chipping sequence is very important.

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Making An Unexpected Long Putt

We have all made long putts before. I am not sure the longest I have ever made, but I am confident it was similar (probably longer 😉 ) to Adam Schenk at the Valspar Championship on the weekend. Schenk just looked it over and slammed his ball into the cup. It was an amazing shot and it help him maintain his lead during his round. It was very nice to watch and reminded me of how following a putting process helps improve our chances to making such putts. It is not complicated, but is a necessity.

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Driver Spin Destroys Distance

Too often I hit what I think are great drives only to realize that the distance was not near what I expected. Although I hit my driver very well, there are times when my ball seems to fall out of the air for no reason. Well, after some research (in the past) I realized that I created too much spin on the ball when hitting my driver. Sometimes the RPM would be thousands of rotations above the accepted norm of approximately 2500 rpm when hitting my driver off the tee. The results is a shorter hit and increased frustration.

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Proper Setup When Chipping

How far do you stand away from the ball when chipping? I can honestly say that when I set up, I think I am in a natural position, but I never really measured. Normally, I stand in a quasi upright position so that the heel of my club is slightly off the ground. This position works and after measuring I found that it is about two feet away. That is the ball is about two feet away from the heel of my lead foot. If you are wondering how I know this, well….

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